October 28, 2022
2023 Budget Campaign Launches with Capitol Rally
We are pleased to announce that The Arc New York and our NYDA partners will be holding a rally at the NYS Capitol on Wednesday, November 16 at 11:30 AM in East Capitol Park (the large staircase outside of the capitol). Our budget advocacy for FY24 is well underway, and part of this effort includes leveraging the grassroots strength of The Arc New York. The goal is to get 400-500 people there as a show of force and solidarity with our stakeholders from across the state.
We have created a save-the-date flyer with a link to register for the event. Please feel free to distribute this widely to your family, friends, and on social media. Information on logistics, messaging for signs, and parking will be released in a future update. Registration is very important, as we are gauging interest for coordinated group transportation.

We've launched a one-click campaign in advance of the rally to inform the governor and other representatives of our budget requests. We are excited to be launching this rally immediately following the election and hope you and many others register and attend. This will be the first of many advocacy opportunities to come!

If you have any questions, please email Philip Aydinian, The Arc New York Director of Governmental Affairs at aydinianp@thearcny.org.
 
FY24 Budget Advocacy Resources
To help prepare our advocates for the capitol rally and meetings with their representatives, we created an information sheet, which details our budget requests for this year.

The Arc New York and our NYDA partners are calling for:
  1. Establishment of a Direct Support Wage Enhancement (DSWE)
  2. Inclusion of the statutory 8.5% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)

Under the DSWE provider agencies will receive $4,000 per eligible employee to be used for the purpose of enhancing the hourly rate of pay for all staff that have direct care/support responsibilities for individuals with I/DD. This wage enhancement will enable provider agencies to raise wages by approximately $2.19 per hour.

The annual COLA is intended to increase budgets appropriately to adjust for inflation and rising costs. In the past decade, inflation rose 27%, yet providers of supports and services received only a 1.2% COLA. A 5.4% COLA was committed in the 2022-23 budget, but this promised increase does not compensate for a decade of underfunding. The proposed 8.5% COLA for
2023-24 is derived from NYS statute, which states the annual COLA will be calculated based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from July of the previous year. Upholding the COLA will support the increased cost of delivering quality services and sustain supports for the future.
We also created a flyer you can print and hang in your offices and share with family and friends. The QR code will link to our current one-click advocacy campaigns, even if we need to pivot with our request. Additional resources and strategies will be forthcoming, including a push for introductory meetings in January with legislators, economic impact sheets for Chapters, and a broader calendar of events and advocacy opportunities.

Thanks to your ardent advocacy, we have achieved a great deal over the past two years, but we must continue the fight to ensure that the foundation of supports and services that enable people with I/DD to live a person-centered life is preserved and advanced.
 
White House Disability Community Economic Impact Briefing
Please join Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement Keisha Lance Bottoms and Senior White House Officials for a Disability Community Economic Impact Briefing on Monday, October 31 at 12:30 PM. This special event will bring together community leaders from across the nation to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic investments and impacts, with a particular focus on how these initiatives are creating change for the disability community. The briefing will take place over zoom and is invitation is open to all - please forward to others as you see fit. ASL and captioning will be provided.

RSVP here to confirm your participation.

If you have any questions you would like considered you may submit them as a part of your RSVP.
Want to do More?
Visit The Arc New York Advocacy Center for more ways to take action, including campaigns to support federal funding, employment opportunities, and our dedicated workforce. You can also find tools and resources to help you be a stronger advocate for New Yorkers with disabilities.

This and all advocacy updates are archived on The Arc New York website for future reference. Please contact us if you have questions regarding any of this information.
Contact: Philip Aydinian, Director of Governmental Affairs 
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